


You Know That You Make It Shine

by charlottebecky



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Athlete/Theater Kid, Cute romance, Fluff, Jock Seth, M/M, Theater Kid Finn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-02 22:41:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16313993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlottebecky/pseuds/charlottebecky
Summary: Finn has been running away from his crush on the university's soccer captain for three years because they are from two completely different worlds. But what happens when a Valentine's Day survey determines that they are the perfect match for each other?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I love and miss writing Seth & Finn, and although this could be all fit into one chapter, I decided to break it up because I need to rest but also I'm very impatient and want to post whatever I've already written. An AU for once, a college AU too, where they're not wrestlers, that is a first for me. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy :) Title is from one of my fave-most songs, Shine by Years & Years

“Sami,” Finn said, very, very slowly, trying to contain the strange mix of anger and amusement he was feeling. 

“Yes, Finn?” Sami asked, equally as slow. Finn could feel the guilt in his friend’s voice, and his amusement was growing. 

“Do you hate me?” Finn asked, his eyes glued to his laptop. Sami’s presence was currently being completely ignored very intentionally by his eyes.

“Of course, not Finn,” Sami said, and Finn could hear Sami trying to suppress a laugh. “You are with no competition, my best friend in the whole world. I feel the exact opposite of hate for you my boy – I actually love you.”

“Okay,” Finn said, his voice softening because he couldn’t help it. Sami knew how much he loved hearing this, especially when that Kevin was always competing for this valued title of Sami’s best friend. _But._ Finn had priorities at this moment, and they did not involve being soft for Sami. “If you really love me, then why do you do these terrible things to me?”

Finn Balor loved his Sami Zayn, he really did. They had been inseparable since they both met when they signed up for the scavenger hunt orientation week of freshmen year that Finn’s roommate and floormates found too “nerdy” and “cheesy” to go on. Sami knew Finn better than anyone at The University of Stamford. And Finn appreciated Sami for the most part because there was nobody kinder or more helpful than Sami around. But sometimes, Sami didn’t really know how to draw lines in his kindness.

For example when it came to his relentless efforts to find Finn a boyfriend, especially by the time Valentine’s Day rolled around. Freshman year, Sami had set him up on not one, but _ten_ blind dates leading up to February 14, knowing just how picky Finn was when it came to picking boys. It was safe to say that Finn had not vibed with any of them. One of them was too tall, one of them blew his nose onto Finn’s napkin, one of them was misogynistic, one of them was dating three people at once, one of them was Sami’s cousing that Sami had paid, and so on. Sophomore year, Sami had stolen Finn’s phone and opened a Tinder account for him. That didn’t go well either because Finn swiped left on every single lad that Tinder had shown him. He just hated judging people based on a couple of photos. What if the ones that looked nice were secretly plotting theft and murder? What if they ones that looked sketchy had hearts of gold? How would he ever know?

And this year was junior year. Sami had taken a chance. He didn’t bother to warn Finn at all. Finn should have known that something was going to happen, but he had become so busy with the spring showcase coming up soon, and tons and tons of homework piling up every day, the last piece of e-mail he was expecting to see when he opened his inbox was “Open to find out your Valentine’s Day match!” 

“You signed me up for the dumb college match making program?” Finn asked. “Sami what makes you think a bunch of algorithms can solve the question of why I am so picky when it comes to guys?”

“You’re not picky, Finn,” Sami said, smiling. “Your standards are just high. We all know how well you guard your heart Finn. But because I’m your best friend, I knowww that deep down you’re a hopeless romantic. I know that giddy look you have when we watch rom-coms.” 

“That’s not the point,” Finn said, trying to ignore the blush because Sami definitely did in fact have a point. “What even were the questions for the survey? How do you know the answers – _oh._ This was why you were playing that awful Truth or Truth game that terrible snow day wasn’t it?”

Finn remembers the two of them sitting in their apartment – they had moved out from dorms a year before – with a bunch of assignments that they were both ignoring. They were too cold to go out, but the power was gone, and they had nothing to do, so Sami was playing this terrible question game that Finn really did not have the focus for at the time, where they asked each other a bunch of questions. Except Finn now understood why the questions Sami had asked him kept revolving around the romantic nature. Like “what is the ideal gesture a partner can do for you?” or “would you like to prefer to go to a concert or a movie with a partner?” It made more sense now. Sami was doing research for this goddamn match making thing, not planning some big proposal. Which was a relief because they were definitely like brothers.

“Come on Finn,” Sami said. “Aren’t you at least a little bit curious whom the algorithm gods might have for you?” 

“Wait, I don’t even know the rules,” Finn said, avoiding the question. “What happens after I find out the person?”

“Well, since U of S is a big school, chances are you might not know them,” Sami said. “So it has their contact info. Well the courtesy you can do if you do choose to follow the game’s steps is that you contact each other and you arrange a date. If you want. And I hope you do."

“Okay what if they turn out to be a creep?” Finn asked.

 “You can text them and find out!” Sami said. “But you can’t text them if you don’t know who they are-“ 

“You know Sami I’m very busy with theater and school-“ 

“Finn, you’re stalling,” Sami said, laughing.

“What if they give me a girl?” Finn asked, feeling his palms almost sweating.

“There was a preference question, I said ‘guys’ okay?”

“I’m still very mad at you for signing you up for this without my consent,” Finn said. He heaved a big sigh, and clicked the e-mail.

_Dear Finn Balor,_

_Thank you so much for taking the opportunity to support The U of S Ballet Team and participate in our Annual Valentine’s Day matchmaking program. We have run your answers against thousands of other participants and found the person who we believe suits your needs for an ideal partner. Click this button below to find your perfect match._

“Here goes nothing,” Finn said, and clicked. 

_Seth Rollins_

_Junior_

_Interests: soccer, crossfit, gaming, music, dogs_

“Oh my god dude,” Sami said.

“What the actual fuck?” Finn asked.

“I think it’s meant to be Finn,” Sami said, squeezing Finn’s shoulders. "You can't ignore his existence forever. This was bound to happen at some point."

 *

Seth hid away from his teammates after practice. His stomach had done a little jolt when he saw the email from the silly ballet team’s matchmaking game thing. He wasn’t sure why he had signed up. He was tired of girls chasing him, and he wasn’t out to most of the soccer team. But when he saw this game thing, he wanted to take a chance. He clicked through the e-mail, and took a deep breath before clicking the name. 

_Finn Balor_

_Junior_

_Interests: theater, art, water sports, music, hiking_

The name was unfamiliar.

But Seth’s heart started racing when he saw the photo. The guy was extremely handsome, and kind of familiar. Had they met before? He tried to rack his brain. Either way, he was very excited to get to know this Finn Balor. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

If he was being completely honest, Finn was trying to get over the whole Valentine’s match thing as quick as he could. Getting Seth Rollins had to be a joke. Finn was almost _sure_ that Seth was straight. Scratch that, he could have sworn he saw Seth hooking up with a random cheerleader behind the soccer field even a couple of weeks ago. He _could_ be bi, but Finn would be happier accepting thinking that someone had played a prank on Seth by signing him up for a guy date for the Valentine’s Day match survey thing, than ever find any courage in himself to actually go on a date with Seth freakin’ Rollins.

If he was being completely honest, he and Seth had crossed paths a bunch of times just because sometimes the campus could be pretty small. Finn knew this for a fact because he, like most people at U of S, was very aware of soccer prodigy Seth Rollins who had been signed all the way from Iowa on a full scholarship and brought to represent the green and gold in the division. There were posters and cutouts of him everywhere. Seth’s face was hard to escape really around campus. So every time Finn saw Seth in the hallway or the cafeteria or even around town, he obviously knew that he was in the presence of the guy every girl in school was dying over, and every dude was probably very jealous of. Initially Finn couldn’t care less about this big shot soccer star or whatever. He seemed all hype and like most of the athletes Finn had encountered around the university, Seth was probably a jerk. At least that’s what Finn thought, until one memorable incident his freshman year. 

 **Three Years Ago; Freshman Year**  

Finn had always been proud of who he was. He understood why people couldn’t always come out, but he had been blessed with supportive parents and friends all his life, which made coming out to them a very smooth process. Naturally, when he came to college, he wanted to join the LGBTQ Student Group. Through that group he got to know a bunch of great people, and his natural leadership abilities got him soon to the executive board of the club as well, that to in his very first year of college. Being the only freshman on the board had its perks, but it had its downsides too. Finn got pushed to being the freshman year liaison for the group, and asked to become an event organizer to encourage more freshmen to attend their meetings. 

One of the first events that Finn had organized as part of the executive board was the freshman’s ball for any students who identified as not straight, or was questioning their sexuality. He figured that label would help any student who wasn’t sure yet, but wanted to check it out just in case. The night had gone pretty smoothly. Finn and the rest of the crew were very proud of themselves, especially when his classmates came up to him before they left, or in the middle of their dancing, to congratulate him on what a wonderful event he had organized. But when they were done cleaning up and Finn had a bunch of props from the party to return back to the resources room in student involvement office, the rest of the executive board was nowhere to be seen.

 _Hello??? Where is everyone?? We need to take the posters and the food back to the office,_ Finn texted the rest of the e-board.

 _Sorry Finn boy – Freshman Liaison takes the stuff – initiation rule,_ the President had replied. 

Finn’s heart sank. He wanted to be in the club to continue helping students like him but he also hated these weird initiation processes all the clubs had. They all seemed so high on their power. But he didn’t have a choice so he sighed, and went to grab all the food and poster and bags of party supplies the best he could in his two hands and headed for the office.

It was dark and the moon was barely out enough (hah, gay pun there) to show him the way over from the hall where they had hosted the event to the student involvement office which was basically on the other side of campus. He was a strong guy, but even he was having trouble juggling everything in his hands. A piece of paper fell here and there, he accidentally dropped a whiteboard, he dropped a piece of cake – all in all it was a messy time because it was just too much to handle for him – _and_ he was barely half way there. He was about to call his roommate who he barely spoke to and ask for help when a loud sports car was zooming past. The car had passed him, but then had reversed back to him. 

The windows rolled down.

Finn had to do a double turn to see why the man behind the wheels looked familiar. Of course, it was that weird soccer guy who was in all the billboards and posters on campus. Finn sighed. What did _he_ want?

“Looks like you need some help there man,” Seth said, surprising Finn. This was not what he was expecting. He thought Seth might have mocked the rainbow badge on his shirt, or the way he was struggling to keep a balance on everything.

“I’m okay,” Finn said. “Thanks anyway.”

A balloon fell from one of the boxes Finn was holding. 

“Dude, it’s cool,” Seth said, opening up the front door for him. “Listen, I’m happy to give you a ride wherever. I was just going back home from the gym, I am in no rush. I’m Seth, by the way.”

He flashed Finn a smile, and Finn felt something in him soften. Seth had a sweet smile. He may have looked arrogant in the photos, but it was a nice offer, and Finn could actually use the help. 

“So where to?” Seth asked, helping Finn put in the props in his trunk.

“Office of Student Involvement,” Finn said. “Just dropping off the stuff from our first year LGBTQ party.”

Finn was apprehensive of how Seth might react – the jocks were infamous for their homophobia – but Seth took it well.

“Wow, that’s cool,” Seth said. “You organize this party all by yourself?” 

“Nah, not originally at least,” Finn said. “The e-board had been around, but then they suddenly all left and said that as the first year liaison the pack up was my job.”

“Dang dude, as the LGBTQ group you’d think they know a thing or two about not hazing, huh?” Seth asked, and then bit his lip. “Sorry dude was that – too much? I mean – I’m not homophobic or anything, I was just saying.” 

“That’s exactly what a homophobic person would say,” Finn said, with a serious face. Then, a second later he started laughing. “No man you’re completely fine. And you’re definitely right. They should know better. Not that I think it’s hazing but.” 

“Yeah the soccer team’s initiation was worse,” Seth said. “But I’m not allowed to tell.”

Seth helped Finn unload the stuff into the office and into the resources room. He even was kind enough to drive Finn over to his dorm. They talked about school and classes and a little bit about how their freshman year had been so far. 

“I’m really sorry to have kept you,” Finn said, as Seth pulled up at Finn’s dorm. “And thank you, for all your help.” 

“Hey pleasure’s all mine dude,” Seth said, shaking Finn’s hand. “It’s so good to talk to someone who’s not on the soccer team or fangirling over soccer at me.” 

“Honestly, I don’t know much about soccer,” Finn said.

“And I couldn’t be more grateful,” Seth said, as Finn said goodnight and walked back. It was only when Finn had gone inside his dorm that Seth realized that he had never asked for his name.

And it was after he was through that door that Finn realized that he might have underestimated Seth Rollins. Just because his face was plastered all over the school with some other jerks, did not mean he was necessarily a bad person. In fact, the touch from shaking his hand had actually caused Finn’s face to get all warm.

** Present Day **

Finn wasn’t going to contact Seth, he really wasn’t. But when his phone buzzed and he received a text,  _Hi, is this Finn? Seth Rollins here, your Valentine’s Day match I guess?_  why did his stomach do a very excited somersault?


	3. Chapter 3

As they got closer and closer to Valentine’s Day, Finn really tried convincing himself that he wasn’t excited about the dinner plans he and Seth had made over text. Actually he wasn’t sure who it was harder to convince this to – himself, or Sami. Ever since Seth and Finn had exchanged messages – and they were very few messages limited to hi’s and hello’s, time and place of their meeting, and Seth had ended it with a _I really do want to talk more but I’m also very excited to follow the rules of this silly match thing and find out more about you in person._ And Finn had to admit, that was adorable.

 _If_ it was Seth sending these texts to him in the first place.

“It’s probably some arsehole from the soccer team,” Finn told Sami for the hundredth time the night before the big day. “Why in the world would Seth Fancypants Rollins want to go out with a random guy when he can have anybody in the whole school?”

“Well that’s what you can find out tomorrow,” Sami said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be great. And it’ll be him okay. I think you know for a fact that he’s not like those other soccer guys. Remember how nice he was that one time you interacted with him?”

“Maybe that was an outlier, maybe he was just on drugs or something,” Finn said. “Look man, I love that you’re looking out for my love life, but I hate that you’re setting me up for failure.”

“How is are you set up for failure?” Sami asked. “You’re literally going out with your crush.”

“He’s not my crush,” Finn said, feeling his cheeks redden very fast.

“Oh yeah?” Sami asked. “Let’s recount a timeline shall we-“

“No please, dear god,” Finn protested, but Sami wouldn’t stop.

“Freshman year you meet Seth Rollins who helps you carry some heavy prop thingies - in his fancy sports car may I add – and is extremely nice to you,” Sami said, raising a finger as Finn tried to stop him. “The rest of the year, you check the website every morning after the soccer team has a game. Not to mention every time they have a home game you somehow end up on the bleachers. Even if it is for five minutes because we all know you’re a busy man. Sophomore year. Not one but four different guys ask you out. You turn down all of them. But when Seth Rollins gets into a random ass relationship with a cheerleader – which I don’t even know how you keep up with his ever-moving life – you mope for days and can’t be seen out of your room all week. Junior year, fall semester. Seth Rollins signs with Nike. Suddenly you buy yourself three new pairs of-“

“Okay, thank you my personal assistant for keeping all the dates and times memorized,” Finn said, shaking his head. “We get it. He’s a nice dude. Some of these things are coincidental. I don’t-“

“Don’t even deny it,” Sami said. “You like him.” 

“He’s cute,” Finn said. “And he was kind of charming that one time.”

“Why haven’t you ever talked to him?” Sami asked. “Like you could have pursued a friendship from there.”

“Sami you know that relationships aren’t my priority,” Finn said. “Besides, he’s just from a different world. He’s rich and definitely famous because scouts are already after him. I’m focused completely on making it out of here and trying to get a shot at Broadway. I left Ireland for this and I want to make my family proud. Getting involved with Seth Rollins has never been part of the plan.”

“Sometimes my boy,” Sami said, smiling sweetly at Finn. “Plans change and you don’t even realize it.”

*

Finn hoped that Sami would never ever find out the fact that he had changed his shirt three times for this “date” before settling on a blue and white check button down and black jeans. What were the odds that actual Seth Rollins was going to show up? He wasn’t even going to let the text that Seth had sent earlier ( _See you tonight! I’m so excited!)_ convince himself that this wasn’t a prank until he actually had proof for himself.

Finn wanted to get it as soon as possible so when he arrived at the restaurant at 7.01 pm he fully expected Seth to be late, or nobody to show up, or worse, some jerk from Seth’s team to be there and set up homophobic jokes and pranks targeting him, but what greeted him was the host asking him if he was Finn Balor, and then being led to a very private and intimate corner at the back of the restaurant, where he was being awaited by Seth Rollins himself.  
Seth Rollins, looking extremely good in a backward hat, white button down and jeans, stood up and smiled at him.

“Sorry – didn’t want anyone to interrupt us,” he said shyly. “Or any of my teammates finding out and making a big deal. I hope you understand.”

“Yeah, of course,” Finn said, and the host left. 

“Also hi!” Seth said. “I’m Seth. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Finn said, feeling his palms getting very sweaty. “Finn.”

They tried to shake and that seemed weird and awkward so they went for a hug, and Finn really tried not to concentrate on how good Seth smelled but it was a quite difficult task to achieve. They sat down and Finn began to fumble with the menu, not believing that this was actually happening, and not sure where to even begin. 

“Forgive me for having a shitty memory,” Seth said. “But we’ve definitely met before right? Like handsome dude with an Irish accent – you’re vaguely in my head, but I just can’t pinpoint-“

Finn was hoping his face wasn’t giving anything away at how he was feeling upon being called handsome by Seth, so he quickly took a sip of his water.

“Yeah, I think you gave me a ride once freshman year,” Finn said.

“OH! Yes! You had some giant rainbow flags,” Seth said. “Your group had ditched you!”

“Yeah,” Finn said. “That’s the one. LGBTQ freshman year party. In charge and then left to clean up.”

“I’d thought you were so brave dude,” Seth said. “I think I even knew then you know, that I wasn’t straight. But I hadn’t had the courage to – actually, this is the first date I’ve been with a guy, so you’ll have to forgive me if I make a fool out of myself, I’m so nervous.”

“You? Nervous?” Finn asked, trying not to focus on the fact that he was the first guy Seth had been on a date with. “The great Seth Rollins? The calmest taker of free kicks the divisions seen in years? Last person I'd expect to be calm, honestly.”

He hadn’t meant to reveal how much he knew about Seth’s reputation. It had slipped out. 

“I see you’ve heard a thing or two about my soccer career,” Seth said, grinning. 

“I’m a sports fan,” Finn said, now probably blushing for real. "I keep up with the college teams now and then."

The server saved him from embarrassing himself too much as he ordered a burger and fries as Seth went for an order of pancakes.

“It’s seven pm!” Finn exclaimed.

“Never a wrong time to have breakfast for dinner,” Seth said, flashing a goofy grin.

Finn felt himself relax. He hadn't realized how funny and dorky Seth was.  

Things got easier and more comfortable from there. As the food arrived, the two of them talked about their lives. Finn told Seth about how much he loved acting and being onstage. He even shared his Broadway dreams. 

“Your parents supportive of the gay thing?” Seth asked.

“Yeah actually,” Finn said, his heart full at the thought of his parents. “I guess it was always one of those things where I didn’t have to say anything. I just went about my life, doing local plays, probably having crushes on male movie stars, and somehow they’ve always known.”

“That’s amazing,” Seth said. “Couldn’t imagine ever coming out to my folks. Especially my dad. He’s so focused on the idea of me only concentrating on my game, and making it to the MLS, and the national team. I don’t even know if he wants me to have time for girls, let alone guys.”

“Do you think he could soften to the idea if you talk to him?” Finn asked.

“It’s never been a talking relationship with us,” Seth said. “It’s always, he talks, I obey. He’s got this big business in Iowa, he’s an influential and shit. We’ve never had a very strong bond or anything. No game of catch or trips to the zoo. Only 'hey Seth make sure you get those goals in. Scouts are watching.'”

“I’m sorry about that,” Finn said. "You're so much more than your skills on the pitch."

“Doesn’t matter, and thanks man,” Seth said. “I’m used to it. Anyway – what’s your favorite movie?”

Finn grinned and they began learning about each other again, and he appreciated how honest Seth was about his insecurities. That was always something he had admired in a guy. They ended up taking a walk along a beautiful lake after dinner, ice cream cones in hand. Finn couldn’t believe how wonderfully the night had gone. He had forgotten how down to earth Seth was. In fact, he was even nicer than he remembered. And Seth genuinely seemed interested in Finn’s life, and didn’t care that they had zero mutual friends, had different class and family backgrounds, or that he wasn’t part of a sports team. Seth was actually offering to come to the spring show to watch Finn star in the all gay-ed up version of Much Ado About Nothing that Finn had help rewritten for the theater group’s showcase. 

Seth dropped off Finn in his fancy car.

“This time I know your name, thank god,” Seth said, getting out to walk Finn to the door of his apartment. "And I have your number too! Lucky me."

“Thanks for such a great night,” Finn said. “I hope you have a good rest of the season.” 

Finn wanted to let him go, so that a. he didn’t get attached and b. if Seth wanted nothing to do with him again, he had the option to just say goodnight and leave. 

Except Seth did no such thing. Instead he said, “Can I see you again?” 

Finn was shocked, honestly. But not as shocked as he was when Seth leaned over and gently pushed Finn against the door to his apartment and gently kissed him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Finn," Seth said, grinning. "Goodnight."

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!!

Finn Balor was very excited. His all gay adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing was going to be amazing. Rehearsals were going very smoothly so far. Bayley, one of his closest friends and the stage manager of the show was making sure everything was well under control. Finn was playing Benedick, and his close friend the very talented Karl Anderson, was playing Beatrice, who was in this show, a man. Claudio had been changed to ClaudiA, and Hero remained as hero were a lesbian couple, and they were being played by the very talented of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, who were also one of the cutest offstage couples on campus.

Finn and his friend Neville, who was the director of the show, had co re-written the script together. Shakespeare wasn’t his favorite thing, but theater, especially gay theater was, so he was having more of a blast doing this than he had ever realized he could. 

He walked into rehearsal in his favorite hoodie and jeans and warmed up with the cast.

“How was Valentine’s Day, guys?” He asked, grinning at the cast around him.

“Dude I have my eyes on that hot shooting guard from the basketball team,” Karl said. “Luke Gallows. But he won’t even look at me. I spent V-Day just chugging beers in my room.” 

“We went on a very nice dinner date,” Becky said, blushing and smiling fondly at her girlfriend. “Then this one gifted me a puppy.” 

“A PUPPY?” Finn asked, gasping. “Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Charlotte said, also blushing. “Just want to make my girl happy.”

“What about you, Finn?” Neville asked. “Any special guys around for ya?”

“Um,” Finn tried to think of what to say. He didn’t like making up shit, but he was also a private person. “I did one of the Valentine’s Day match up things. From the ballet team. Went on a blind date.”

“Oh!” Everyone around the room gasped and looked at him, surprised and impressed.

“How was it?” a bunch of people asked.

“It was nice,” he said. “I had a really good time. The guy’s really cute, he was a gentleman too.”

“Will you see him again?” Bayley asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Finn said. “I’ve got this play to focus on. You guys are my number one priority. Married to the theater, you know me.”

Which is to say that it was all fine and he was distracted from the fact that was eating up the back of his mind that Seth hadn’t called him or texted him or reached out in anyway in the last two days. He just had such an annoying feeling in his gut that Seth didn’t want to see him anymore. Like it was him, he had done something wrong, said something weird. 

Normally he’d waste no time getting over this (mostly because he was so used to setting himself up for disappointment) and it would have been fine, had Seth just shrugged it off after their date and left. But he had said that he wanted to see Finn again. And he had kissed Finn. And adorably smiled. You don’t do that and leave. Not when Finn had _just_ started to accept the fact that maybe this was actually his life now. He had been on a date with and kissed the soccer player he had a bit of a crush on and they were gonna see each other soon. As hard to believe as it was, this was his life now. 

Or not. Because Seth was MIA. 

He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

*

Seth Rollins never considered himself a ‘player,’ although many of his teammates and sometimes – as much as he hated to admit it – his friends thought he was. It’s not that Seth liked to shuffle fast between people, or that he wanted to deceive them. He never got bored easily of them either. Seth Rollins was just a little lost. He knew he had liked both guys and girls from a young age, but due to the looming presence of his dad all around him, he had never had the chance to even hold a guy’s hand, knowing that his asshole of a father would take a fucking stick from somewhere and beat him up probably.

Seth’s father had been a soccer player all through his childhood and school years all the way to college, until an ACL tear took away the chance of him being scouted by the Major League Soccer. Since then, he took up growing his damn textile business, and also the business of butting into every decision Seth made in his life.

Seth was also not a liar. Which is why he couldn’t date anyone really. Because to his dad, it was either focus only on your soccer – you HAVE to make it to the big leagues, or, “if you _have_ to have a girlfriend, find one, and stick to her. Playing the field gets to your head. The only field you should be worrying about is the one where you kick that ball into the goal.” There was no way Seth could ever date one girl and immediately decide she was going to be his forever, that too this early in his life and career.

  
Therefore, when he went to parties or soccer hang outs, or anything really where dancing and hormonal youth and alcohol was involved, he would make out with people – often. A lot of his teammates didn’t get the bi thing. They never understood that Seth did enjoy hooking up with the cheerleaders and girls from his classes at soccer parties yes, and he enjoyed their staying up at away games getting drinks with boys from rival teams and then finding himself taking off his pants in the back of the car belonging to Tyler Breeze from University of Connecticut. Seth was genuinely interested in the best of both worlds but his teammates thought kissing men was something he was only interested in when he was drunk.

Seth liked his teammates. He wanted them to like him. He had come up in the team looking up to them and they had chosen him as captain as early as his junior year. He was hurt by all their biphobic comments often, but he wasn’t one to pick a fight and tell them that he was genuinely into dudes. He just let them think he was a player, making out with whomever he wanted at these events, because they kept him happy on the pitch – sent some good balls along his way so he could shoot them right in the net. Seth had already scored 29 goals this season. It was really turning out to be a good one.

He had a good head on his shoulders, and he was very seldom shaken by anything. But he was of course very inexperienced in the Dating Like A Normal Person and Not Making Out In Literal and Figurative Closets Because I Am Only Meant To Focused On My Soccer department. But he had genuinely a wonderful time on his Valentine’s Day date with Finn, and he really _did_ mean it when he said that he wanted to see Finn again.

Finn’s surprise when Seth had told him that he wanted to see him again was very apparent. Undoubtedly, Finn had probably also heard these stupid rumors that Seth was a player. He didn’t know how to end these damn rumors. College was hard sometimes.

"I'm not a player," he complained. "I am just a disaster bi."

“Just call him,” his best friend Roman told him when Seth whined about this dilemma at Roman’s dorm room for an hour while playing FIFA on the PlayStation. “You’re worried he thinks you’re not interested. So show him you are.”

“It’s that simple?” Seth asked, surprised. 

“Wait,” Roman said. “It’s been two days and you haven’t called or texted him at all?”

“Uh no?” Seth said. “Was I supposed to? Dude, how do I learn these things? Besides I’m such shit at texting. Fuck, he probably thinks I hate him!”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Rollins,” Roman said, pausing the game. “Just put the controller down, and do something with that damn Apple device to make sure he doesn’t think you’ve ghosted him that’s all.”

“Where’s my phone?” Seth asked. “Oh shit it’s in my room. Gotta run, thanks Rome love you!”

 

* 

Finn was just finishing up rehearsal and heading back to his and Sami’s place when his phone rang. No one ever called him – his parents were asleep in Ireland right now, and all his friends were texters. He was about to ignore it, thinking it was some weird service call, when he saw the name Seth Rollins flash on the screen. 

Finn was getting used to weird jolts his stomach did every time Seth was involved. But he had to admit he was very pleasantly surprised to see this. He picked up.

“Hey,” he said, trying to sound casual.

“Finn,” Seth said from the other end. Finn could hear him almost out of breath. “I’m so sorry I haven’t reached out. I wish I could be cool and say life is busy-“

“I was gonna say,” Finn said, feeling himself smiling. “Life’s busy for the football – sorry, soccer -  god.”

“No, no,” Seth said. “I really would have and should have called. I didn’t know dating decorum. Which doesn’t make sense because we should be in contact if we want to go on a second date. I’m just not much of a texter but I do want to talk to you and see you and I – I’m just rambling.”

“Hahah it’s cute,” Finn said. “You’re cute.” 

“Hey, thank you,” Seth said, his voice softening. “I don’t even know how to pick up from that extremely nerdy rant so I’m just gonna cut to the chase. Do you want to go on another date soon?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Finn said, grinning, the annoying feeling in his gut that had encompassed him the last two days, suddenly disappearing.

**Author's Note:**

> Do people like this? Please leave kudos/feedback thank you!


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